Submitted via IRC for Bytram
Boffins at Purdue University in America say they made the discovery while conducting atomic-level scanning of fast-charging lithium-ion battery electrodes. The team, led by Kejie Zhao, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, used multiple scanning techniques and computer-aided enhancements to take a deep dive into a particular power pack, and found what may be the Achilles' heel of fast charging.
Essentially, what happens is that fast charging seemingly damages the battery's electrode particles, forcing the device to lose capacity and shorten its lifespan. This degradation is caused by lithium ions whizzing between internal electrodes, we're told.
"These fast charging batteries are often decked out with thicker electrodes, but that doesn't prevent damage," explained Zhao this week. "The capacity of batteries doesn't depend on how many particles are in the battery; what matters is how the lithium ions are used."
[...] According to Purdue Uni's Kayla Wiles:
Every time that a battery charges, lithium ions travel back and forth between a positive electrode and a negative electrode. These ions interact with particles in electrodes, causing them to crack and degrade over time. Electrode damage reduces a battery's charging capacity.
Trying to figure out ways to solve battery degradation is a major research problem that involves all areas of science. Before eggheads can begin to think of improving lithium-ion batteries, however, they need to understand the exact mechanism that leads to degradation.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Arik on Friday June 07 2019, @06:44AM (2 children)
If your power needs are relatively low, but quick charging is a must, super capacitors might do the trick for you. If you're familiar with the regular old capacitors, these things will blow your mind. Super quick to charge, energy density isn't quite up there with good batteries but it's still impressive.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Friday June 07 2019, @08:13AM (1 child)
Or buy two (or more).
(Score: 3, Touché) by Arik on Friday June 07 2019, @01:09PM
Why? Why encourage the manufacture of junk?
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by stormwyrm on Friday June 07 2019, @07:07AM (12 children)
Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 07 2019, @07:26AM
It's almost like this was already known and making them non-replaceable was intentional..
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 07 2019, @11:14AM (4 children)
Except, for most of us, regular phone battery has plenty of charge for 1 day. They are actually optimized like that. They could put in a larger battery, but it doesn't really benefit majority of customers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 07 2019, @12:54PM (2 children)
Most older folks and probably a lot of younger ones forget to charge their phones. Battery time degrades over the lifetime of the battery. Nobody is really clamoring for thinner phones with less battery capacity.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 07 2019, @01:08PM
You can always find someone who wants any feature or any tradeoff. It may not be reasonable to market to that subset, but it's not reasonable to claim that it's not there. I'm usually a part of that group, liking trackballs, buckling-spring keyboards, 3:4 aspect ratio, manual transmission, fountain pens, and so on.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday June 08 2019, @02:50AM
For the 0.1% of whatever who really need the extra capacity, they can just carry around a pack of 18650's with a USB charger built in. You could even name it after that, call it something like "USB power bank". I'm sure there'd be a market for those if someone were to build one.
(Score: 1) by sfm on Friday June 07 2019, @04:34PM
...but many of us would likely jump at the chance to have 2x-5x the
battery life even with a little more clunkiness. If only we had an
easy option to do that
(Score: 4, Funny) by VLM on Friday June 07 2019, @12:01PM (5 children)
Not being a girl and not putting my phone in my butt pocket of my pants I never understood the seemingly insane desire for thinner and thinner phones, but a friend pointed out awhile ago that the purpose of thin phones is for young women to put them in their butt pocket of their jeans without awkward conversations along the lines of "Does this iphone make my butt look fat?" for which all males know there is no truly safe answer other than hoping she buys a thinner phone so she stops asking questions like that.
That's also why phones are ridiculously bling shiny, nothing is more young woman than attention grabbing antics like "everyone, especially (only?) cute single guys, take a look at my shiny reflective butt". Guys using iphones are literally using womens jewelry, although its not quite cross dressing.
Imagine in a more masculine culture, a phone marketed to be worn mostly by dudes as a codpiece where all the advertising is about how round and long and thick it is, rather than the existing feminine shiny butt-jewelry.
There's a large community of modders who build stuff into weird cases, kinda interesting, someone should build "the male iphone" by case modding a phone into a codpiece. I might not watch the video but I'd sure as heck LOL.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 07 2019, @12:30PM
As a crossdresser, I wouldn't want to be found dead with an iTurd in my handbag.
iPhones are a disgrace to self-respecting crossdressers, and this is coming from one of those autogynephiles who gets off on humiliation...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 07 2019, @01:39PM
A phone for men was the N900.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 07 2019, @03:23PM
(Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday June 08 2019, @02:53AM
You'd need an even bigger battery for that, to power the built-in beer cooler. Mind you the full 12" screen would be good for read... uhh, looking at titty pics.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 08 2019, @07:18AM
C'mon, VLM, you can confess your need for a thinner butt here on SoylentNews!
There are lots of alt-right metro-sexuals that would be attracted to you, if not for your massive ass!
(Score: 2) by VLM on Friday June 07 2019, @11:54AM
Yeah interesting comparison to older chemistries where current density was the issue so fast charge/discharge cells (like starter batteries for cars) had THINNER electrodes to get more surface area, which makes the electrodes weak physically and corroding a constant distance per year obviously affects thin plates faster.
Just interesting to point out that lithium cells don't have the engineering solution that nicads and lead acid used to have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 07 2019, @03:19PM
don't care IF removable(!) and guaranteed(!) to be taken back (for free!) AND recycled by manufacturer ...